EDC222 Early Childhood Principles

for S2T 2011

Mission Statement: The mission of Park University, an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide access to academic excellence, which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community.

School For Education Mission StatementThe School for Education at Park University, an institution committed to diversity and best practice, prepares educators to be effective school professionals, reflective change agents, and advocates for equity and excellence for all learners.

Vision Statement: Park University will be a renowned international leader in providing innovative educational opportunities for learners within the global society.

School For Education Vision StatementThe School for Education at Park University is to be known as a leader in the preparation of educators who will address the needs, challenges, and possibilities of the 21st century.

Ph.D. Early Childhood Education and SociologyM.A. Human Development & Family Studies; emphasis: Early Childhood Education, Higher Education, and AdministrationB.S. Human Development and Family Studies; emphasis: Children in Group Settings

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8
Author(s): Bredekamp, Sue; Copple, Carol; National Association for the Education of Young Children
ISBN10: 1928896642
ISBN13: 9781928896647
Format: Bound Book
Pub. Date: 1/1/2009
Publisher(s): NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN
*Websites will be used throughout the semester….assigned times come with discussion questions.

Students must purchase Foliotek as a School for Education required text. Contact carol.williams@park.edu to purchase. Students seeking Missouri Teacher Certification purchase MO-STEP portfolio. Students seeking Early Childhood Teaching Young Children and Early Childhood Education and Leadership purchase NAEYC portfolio. All work must be saved for input.

McAfee Memorial Library - Online information, links, electronic databases and the Online catalog. Contact the library for further assistance via email or at 800-270-4347.Career Counseling - The Career Development Center (CDC) provides services for all stages of career development. The mission of the CDC is to provide the career planning tools to ensure a lifetime of career success.Park Helpdesk - If you have forgotten your OPEN ID or Password, or need assistance with your PirateMail account, please email helpdesk@park.edu or call 800-927-3024Resources for Current Students - A great place to look for all kinds of information http://www.park.edu/Current/.Advising - Park University would like to assist you in achieving your educational goals. Please contact your Campus Center for advising or enrollment adjustment information.Online Classroom Technical Support - For technical assistance with the Online classroom, email helpdesk@parkonline.org or call the helpdesk at 866-301-PARK (7275). To see the technical requirements for Online courses, please visit the http://parkonline.org website, and click on the "Technical Requirements" link, and click on "BROWSER Test" to see if your system is ready.FAQ's for Online Students - You might find the answer to your questions here.

Course Description:EDC222 Early Childhood Principles: An introduction to early childhood principles and their impli- cations for teaching. Students will be familiar with the philosophical framework of developmentally appropriate practices as a basis for making professional decisions. Students will observe for a total of five (5) hours in each of the following early childhood settings: Infants/Toddler, Pre-Primary, and Early Elemenatary (K-3). Prerequisite: EDC220. 3:0:3.

Educational Philosophy:The professor draws from Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, in that it is important to allow for diverse learning styles in all classrooms. Further, she believes in the fact that individuals learn through collaboration and construction of their own knowledge. In other words the professor draws heavily from theorists such as Dewey, Vygotsky, Piaget, Bruner to name a few. The professor provides time to share personal experiences and ideas to understand multiple perspectives.

The class is organized in the style of a seminar where the instructor faciliatates discussion without interrupting the natural flow of dialogue. Detailed feedback on discussion boards occur in gradebook to clarify ideas. It is important that students read the feedback in gradebook and any post in the discussion board.

Learning Outcomes:Core Learning Outcomes

Describe significant historical, philosophical, psychological, and social foundations of current practice in early childhood education.

Identify the characteristics and principles guiding the planning, implementation, and evaluation of developmentally appropriate materials, activities, and strategies in an integrated curriculum in various early childhood settings.

Identify the characteristics and purposes of learning environments using concrete manipulative materials, child choice and decision-making, and play as a context for enhancing development.

Demonstrate the importance of reflection in teaching.

Articulate a developing philosophy of early childhood education as a basis for making professional decisions.

Core Assessment: All Park University courses must include a core assessment that measures the relevant Core Learning Outcomes. The purpose of this assessment is to determine if expectations have been met concerning mastery of learning outcomes across all instructional modalities. The core assessment for this course is the Observations and Reflections.

Three Observations (210 pts) Candidates will observe in three different early childhood settings (Infant/Toddler, Pre-primary, Early Primary), 5 hours each,for a total of 15 hours.

Observation part

Plan to observe for 5 hours (Minimum) in each program serving infants or toddlers, Pre-primary and Kindergarten or early elementary (1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade). Complete the observation guide for the specified age group (addressing Developmentally Appropriate Practices for the specific age groups as defined in Copple and Bredekamp). The examples you provide must address each indicator provided on the guide. If you do not observe a behavior, you are still responsible for stating what you observed and how it might be changed in order to become developmentally appropriate.

Reflection part (completed upon the conclusion of each observation):

For each observation (infant/toddler, pre-primary and early elementary), reflect on learnings from the assignment. This should be completed once the observations have concluded. Keep in mind the following questions to help organize your thinking.

a) What are you noticing that seems important for your teaching (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

b) How are these learnings helping you develop a vision of the teacher you want to be (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

d) Why might your learnings be important for the time children will spend in your company (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

e) How are your learnings helping you envision children as capable and competent (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

f) How are you coming to appreciate the values that underlie teaching decisions (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

Class Assessment:

Participation in class discussion board. Evidence of reading assignments is evident through the application of ideas and reflection in discussion boards. 90 Total Points (10 points for each discussion board and 5 points each for community building)

Project 1: Observations and Reflections (Core Assessment)

A. Observation part

Plan to observe for 5 hours (Minimum) in each program serving infants or toddlers, Pre-primary and Kindergarten or early elementary (1st, 2nd or 3rd grade).

Complete the observation guide for the specified age group (addressing Developmentally Appropriate Practices for the specific age groups as defined in Copple and Bredekamp). The examples you provide must address each indicator provided on the guide. If you do not observe a behavior, you are still responsible for stating what you observed and how it might be changed in order to become developmentally appropriate.

B. Reflection part (completed upon the conclusion of the observation):

For each observation (infant/toddler, pre-primary and early elementary), reflect on learnings from the assignment. This should be completed once the observations have concluded. Keep in mind the following questions to help organize your thinking.

a) What are you noticing that seems important for your teaching (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

b) How are these learnings helping you develop a vision of the teacher you want to be (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

d) Why might your learnings be important for the time children will spend in your company (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

e) How are your learnings helping you envision children as capable and competent (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

f) How are you coming to appreciate the values that underlie teaching decisions (refer directly to observation and apply readings)?

210 Total Points

Project 2: Model/Approach/Program Presentation Participate in a group presentation on the topic assigned. Grades are determined upon both individual and group performance. Groups will not only describe the model/approach/program (when it began, philosophy), but they should also identify the positives and negatives of their identified model/approach or program. The presentation must include a Power Point. Be creative in your presentation! Students should use resources to collaborate (virtual café, document sharing, etc.)

20 Total Points

Project 3: Technology Paper Description: During week 7, participate in the online discussion regarding technology. In addition to the regular text book reading, candidates will select 1 academic article to help understand appropriate uses of technology in an early childhood classroom AND 1 article to help analyze appropriate software for children in age group selected (3-5 year olds or 6-8 year olds).

After participating in the online discussion, candidates will select 1 computer software program for young children (either 3-5 year olds or 6-8 year olds). Candidates will play the game with a child of that age group. Fully describe what occurs in the program and how the child responds.

Using the information gained through the discussion board, analyze the software using the academic articles and text. Determine whether the software is appropriate to use in the classroom/with young children. Make sure to cite sources.

20 Total Points

Proctored Final Exam Write an essay that describes your understanding of the early childhood competencies. Define each competency in your own words and provide specific examples that demonstrate your knowledge. (Competencies can be located at: http://www.dese.mo.gov/divteachqual/teached/competencies/ece_404.pdf . These will be provided on the day of the exam.)

45 Total Points

Grading:

A project packet, which includes all scoring guides and complete descriptions of assignments, will be located in document sharing.

90 points Participation

210 points Project 1: Observations and Reflections (Core Assessment)

20 points Project 2: Model/Approach/Program Presentation

20 points Project 3: Technology Paper

45 points Proctored Final Exam

Grading Scale347-385 A

308-346 B

270-307 C

228-269 D

Late Submission of Course Materials:

Teacher candidates must follow the criteria outlined and abide by the due dates for each project. Late submissions are accepted only with prior approval from the professor. Twenty percent of the total points (for the project) may be deducted if the professor accepts the paper as a late submission. It is the teacher candidate’s responsibility to contact the professor prior to due date if he/she does not understand the criteria for the assignments as explained.

Classroom Rules of Conduct:

Reading/Class Participation Teacher candidates are required to read the textbook chapters in order to participate in class discussion boards. Small group work includes dialogue and problem solving throughout the semester. Individual teacher candidates can receive partial points for class participation and discussion boards. The class projects are based on contents covered in the text and class dialogue.

Writing Assignments Scoring guides that include format for written assignments are provided for the course. Teacher candidates should attend the writing center to ensure that papers do not bear any technical writing and typological errors. Teacher candidates must cite references using APA style within the contents of the paper. Teacher candidates should write papers in order to explain all information (assume that the reader does not understand the information presented). This form of writing will enable the students to explain their ideas and understanding of content to the professor. Furthermore, this form will better enable students to explain ideas to family members of children with whom they will work in the future. All written papers should be saved for the purpose of revision. Teacher candidates are allowed to make one revision for each written project if the grade is less than ninety percent and submitted on time. The due date for the revised papers is one week after they have been returned to students.

Visiting Programs When visiting programs or schools for observations it is essential that teacher candidates always remember that they are representatives of Park University. Professional dress and behaviors are required during all observations. Candidates must review the protocols for visiting programs, sign and return to professor prior to observing.

DUE: Return to discussion board to review critical responses and any additional posts by the professor by 7 p.m. CT

DUE: Project 1, Part B by 11 p.m. CT

End of Week 6

Week Seven

Monday

Welcome to Week 7!

Readings Morrison, Chapter 13
One academic article to help understand appropriate uses of technology in early childhood classrooms (infants, toddlers, pre-primary, and early elementary)
One article to help analyze appropriate software for children (pre-primary and early elementary children)
* Academic articles include research to help support ideas. A search engine does not always include academic articles. It is advisable to use ERIC or Ebscohost.

DUE: Return to discussion board to review critical responses and any additional posts by the professor by 11 a.m. CT

End of Week 8

Academic Honesty:Academic integrity is the foundation of the academic community. Because each student has the primary responsibility for being academically honest, students are advised to read and understand all sections of this policy relating to standards of conduct and academic life. Park University students and faculty members are encouraged to take advantage of the University resources available for learning about academic honesty (www.park.edu/current or http://www.park.edu/faculty/).from Park University 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog Page 92

Plagiarism:Plagiarism involves the use of quotations without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of the source, the use of another's idea without acknowledging the source, the submission of a paper, laboratory report, project, or class assignment (any portion of such) prepared by another person, or incorrect paraphrasing. from Park University 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog Page 92-93

The instructor may excuse absences for valid reasons, but missed work must be made up within the semester/term of enrollment.

Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties.

In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a semester/term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of "F".

A "Contract for Incomplete" will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course.

Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance or Veterans Administration educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the semester/term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student.

Report of a "F" grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for those students who are receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned in item 5 above will be reported to the appropriate agency.

ONLINE NOTE: An attendance report of "P" (present) will be recorded for students who have logged in to the Online classroom at least once during each week of the term. Recording of attendance is not equivalent to participation. Participation grades will be assigned by each instructor according to the criteria in the Grading Policy section of the syllabus.

Disability Guidelines:Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all students that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to students concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University's policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding students with disabilities. In the case of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University's policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: http://www.park.edu/disability .

First Disciplinary Competency OutcomesIdentify the characteristics and purposes of learning environments using concrete manipulative materials, child choice and decision-making, and play as a context for enhancing development. (MoSTEP Standards 1.2.4. EC 6.3 NAEYC 4b)

Assignment clearly explains the specific contributions of a learning environment that invites the child to investigate, make meaningful decisions, and play as a way of making sense of her/his world.

Assignment makes a brief reference to the importance of a learning environment that invites the child to investigate, make meaningful decisions, and play as a way of making sense of her/his world.

Little if any reference to the importance of a learning environment that invites the child to investigate, make meaningful decisions, and play as a way of making sense of her/his world

Reflection clearly explains your growth in professional learnings, that is, the reader is able to understand how you viewed the role of the teacher of young children at the beginning of the semester, and how your thinking has evolved.

Specific examples of growth are provided and linked to the vision statement of the Park University Early Childhood Department.

Reflection references your growth in professional learnings.

Statements of growth are general rather than specific.

Reflection makes little if any references to your growth in professional learnings.

Statements of growth are vague and generic, failing to reflect the specific content of the course.

No evidence of competency

Copyright:

This material is protected by copyright and can not be reused without author permission.